May vows to protect UK troops who fought in Iraq from legal 'abuse'

Theresa May has told senior commanders that every effort must be made to stop British soldiers from falling victim to “abuse of the legal system” by lawyers representing Iraqis who allege they were victims of war crimes during the occupation of their country.

In a 90-minute meeting with senior commanders, the prime minister said she was determined to protect the armed forces against any “vexatious complaints” relating to the eight-year occupation, during which tens of thousands of British soldiers were deployed to the Arab republic.